Forest Fire... ancient Olympia burning

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Greece in a state of emergency & mourning



Five out of seven prefectures in the Peloponnese, southern Greece, along with central and southern Evia were again ravaged by wildfires on Sunday, with 42 blazes contained overnight, including a handful of previously damaging fires in the greater Athens area, although new fires were continually erupting. Tragically, the official death toll rose to 59 -- late Sunday evening -- in the wake of an unprecedented barrage of wildfires that erupted since Thursday, fanned by gale-force winds, heat and amid widespread speculation of arson. According to a fire brigade spokesman during a Sunday afternoon briefing, 63 new wildfires alone were reported in just a 24-hour period, of which 40 were quickly extinguished